Erick Dampier is still better than Adonal Foyle, Mbenga, Diop or any high energy raw as hell backup center at least. One thing about Erick Dampier is he's a very calm, all around defensive type of center with inside presence when he's motivated. He's great at offensive boards, putback dunks and tips, pump fakes and he's got some ability to create with his drop step moves and ability to pass well from the post. However, his allstar level of play is only during his contract years as seen in Golden State. Once he gets re-upped he continues to disappoint fans and leave them with the impression that he's not really trying that hard or he could be better than he is. He plays pretty soft anytime else maybe because he's sulking. The guy would have been a great Dale Davis type player, but he demands the ball in order to be happy and he can only catch certain passes if they're up high. Any low pass will bounce right off his finger tips. Then if he manages to catch it, he has very few moves to score with. If he gets fouled, he struggles sometimes at the line. I think if the Mavericks still had Steve Nash and a shooting guard that could get others involved, I think it's one element to keep Dampier motivated to step up his game. Like Shaq says, "You have to feed the big dog if you want him to protect the yard". Probably true since the big man has the hardest job of fighting for position all the time, getting leaned on by 270 lb centers and then having to run back on defense again once a perimeter guy jacks up a shot.
